The Speed of Dark
by greyskys
Summary: The world is gone, two hundred years gone, and has been handed over to the best of the best to keep it going. Humans have been popping up, placing fear for the planet into silent hearts. And when people fear, they are usually in need of a hero...
1. Preface

**Just tell me what you think, okay? This is completely my own idea. Leave reviews so I know whether or not to keep posting chapters.**

**ONWARD!****_____________________________________________________________________________________________________**

A _long_ time ago, America was under attack for about the _zillionth _time. The economy had just dropped—so fast that some people say it was planned. So America was in turmoil and some bozo thought it would be a brilliant idea to go Julias Ceasar and take them over.

Look where his idea brought us.

America fought back with all they had seeing as the rest of the world was against them. And in all of the chaos, no one noticed them planning carefully in their little hidey-hole—planning the end of the world.

In 2020, President Pearson put his plan into action.

He ordered a huge labyrinth of tunnels to be built underneath the crust made of ten feet of solid metal on each side. I was supplied to house one hundred people for ten years—an incredibly long ten years. The President hand-picked the smartest, fastest, strongest, and agile people on the planet to accompany him in living in the Labyrinth, as its now called.

Ten years later, the world was gone, and in its place was a new extravagantly beautiful place—a chance to start over.

Those amazing people had children, carrying on the amazing Traits. Human evolved until it could no longer be considered such. Ears became long and tapered to a point. Hair became smooth like velvet and slippery so it could not be tangled in bushes and branches. Limbs became long and graceful, able to jump and swing long distances. Eyes expanded and pupils enlarged, turning the eye color black.

And their hearts stopped.

Hearts weren't important in the way of survival, at least by Trilance standards. We were _special_, we had _evolved_. And, though they didn't tell us, we couldn't be killed by an outside force. Right?

The world of Trilance continued, building three cities bound by the Alliance—the most important piece of paper in the kingdom (if you want to call it that).

Life went on, learning to survive. But one by one, children were born; becoming more human though their hearts stayed silent, their thoughts alien to us . Humans were returning and it seemed that the fate of the world would once again turn over to them—the ultimatum.

Until a little girl was born—one with long ears, long limbs, smooth hair, black eyes…

…and a beating heart.


	2. Exploring

_**CHAPTER ONE**_

"Leea! Come on, breakfast! It's salami; you know you like—GET DOWN FROM THERE!"

I huffed and swung down from the top banister in our house, about twelve feet up from the floor. "'Oh no! You'll break something! Get back here this instant!' Pfft…" I muttered as I shuffled into the kitchen.

Mom—along with the rest of the world—had always treated me like I was about to die at any second all because I had a beating heart. It was stupid. So what if I had veins and blood? I was more fit and agile then most kids my age. It's not like I'm going to collapse any second…

I downed the stupid salami, cleaned up, and charged out the door before Mom could call me back for anything else. It was early—about seven pm—and most people wouldn't be up yet. So I headed towards my favorite thinking spot: the Ancients.

The Ancients are basically just a group of three trees that happen to be a thousand years old. The trunks are _huge_ and they're the tallest things in the kingdom. And since I'm agile….

Two minutes and a skinned palm later, I was sitting in the highest branches of the great oaks. I smiled slightly as the wind blew through my hair, my eyes in slits from pleasure. Our two suns were setting in the distance, showering the land in hues of red and blue. It almost looked rather fruit-basket-ish and I giggled at the thought. Yeah—the Forests of Circan turning into bananas and apples. The Trilance would be going nuts.

As the suns slowly disappeared, darkness took over, making it easier on my large eyes. Since they were so big, our pupils absorbed a lot more light than humans, making us rather…nocturnal. My fellow owls hooted in the distance and took off for their nightly hunt.

I jumped from branch to branch, chasing a random bird through the dark air. Noise from the village below me was starting up, but I didn't feel like going to see Aimee or Brayden today—I wanted to explore.

The owl—which I had decided to call Moo—was flying just ahead. I was excited to see happy that he hadn't been spooked away since I was so close. Moo mustn't have been used to my fellow people's…_difference_. He liked my beating heart.

The owl kept flying, out of the village—and soon the Trilance—limits. I must admit I was a little spooked, but the idea of discovery kept me going.

Moo finally started circling a small clearing and my large ears soon picked up the hustle and bustle of what seemed to be…_a village?_ I landed silently on a large overhanging branch and crept along it all the way to the point.

I was still hidden by leaves and other smaller branches, but I could see tents and fires and _people_ moving about. "Wow," I whispered to myself, wondering who these creatures were. Why weren't they with the Trilance? Were they outcasts? I had heard about a group of people being banished to the limits of the Trilance but I hadn't pried into it.

A man stepped into the fire-light and I gasped: his ears! They were…_small._ And his eyes were tiny. He was still tall, but he didn't have a graceful look to him. I closed off all senses but my ears, listening. No, they didn't have a heartbeat, but they seemed almost…_human_.

As I was pondering this matter, I didn't realize my hands were slipping until I was doing a face plant in the dirt. I rolled over quickly and sat up, holding my head. _Maybe Mom had a point after all,_ I thought as I groaned quietly.

Footsteps hurried towards me and I sprang up, not wanting to be caught spying. I quickly scrambled back up a tree and watched as five men and women stepped into the clearing where I had just fallen and looked about. They kept speaking in this smooth watery language, kind of velvety. It was _way_ different that the clicks and chirps of my people.

After a while, they seemed to give up and they left. Jumping back down, I heard a gasp and spun around.

There was a teen boy standing there. Slowly, I prepared to spring back up when he pulled out a knife and held it to my throat.


	3. AN: Avian Americans

**Okay, don't hate me, but this is one of those incredibly stupid author's notes. **

**But this one is cool!**

**For the Maximum Ride lovers out there check out this RPG site!**

http://

avianamerican.

proboards.

com/index.

cgi

**(Sorry for the spaces. FanFiction is stupid that way)**

**Summary!**

Itex is destroyed, Ari is dead, the Flock is reunited and Max has found her real parents, but the question remains: what next?

Their next mission is one they have already tried for and failed at: high school. With Itex gone and the world saved, it is time for the Flock to enjoy something they have never had, a normal life. But how normal can six bird kids be?

Itex may be gone, but from its ashes has risen Chimera Corporation, a sister company, just as evil, just as blood thirsty and just as powerful. They have had much more success with their hybrids than Itex, their pride and joy, a feline-human hybrid. Chimera Corp wants the Flock for themselves and who better to catch a bird than a cat?

If that wasn't bad enough, hybrids are turning up everywhere, escapees from the various Itex branches. Are they friends or are they foe?

What do you think?

**See if you can figure out which one's me! (I don't go by Grey)**

**Love ya'!**

**~*GrEy*~**


End file.
